Scarlet Jupiter

209. Pepper in the mix (Super deluxe 4SHM-CD+blu-ray+DVD Japanese edition) (+ complete product details)

Released simultaneously with the rest of the 50th anniversary editions of The Beatles' most celebrated album, the Japanese exclusive super deluxe box set is the most comprehensive of all, featuring all the brand new audiovisual material, plus other exclusives, not available elsewhere. Along with all the contents of the international super deluxe box set, the Japanese box set exclusively comes with cardboard papers to set up a diorama (11 x 11 x 7cm), replicating the cover artwork (the design of these is different from the ones individually sold at stores). Furthermore, the box includes 2 mini gift cards, plus an A2-sized poster. More importantly, the 6 CDs inside the box are Super High Material discs ( SHM-CD format), offering to audiophiles even higher quality sound than normal CDs (SHM-CDs are played on a standard CD player). The lavish and info-packed 144-page hardback book is naturally included in the package. Since I have purchased both super deluxe box sets, I think I can safely say that the Japanese is the most precious, being the greatest collectible of the 2017 anniversary series a Beatle-maniac can get. It is, also, a limited release, making it even more special. It costs a little more than ¥19,000 (incl. p&p) when ordering from Japan, quite reasonable for what the item is. The product details below are meticulously typed by little old me straight from the listings in the box. Those who invest in any version of the box set, will be highly rewarded by the diligence employed towards assembling it; from the magnificent lenticular slipcase, to the newly refreshed original 4-track tapes audio, this is a premium package of one of the most influential and celebrated albums in the history of music.List of contents:CD 1: "Sgt. Pepper..." 2017 Stereo mix1. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band2. With a little help from my friends3. Lucy in the sky with diamonds4. Getting better5. Fixing a hole6. She's leaving home7. Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite!8. Within you without you9. When I'm sixty-four10. Lovely Rita11. Good morning good morning12. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band (Reprise)13. A day in the lifeCD 2: Early takes from the sessions, sequenced in chronological order1. Strawberry fields forever (Take 1)2. Strawberry fields forever (Take 4)3. Strawberry fields forever (Take 7)4. Strawberry fields forever (Take 26)5. Strawberry fields forever (Stereo mix - 2015)6. When I'm sixty-four (Take 2)7. Penny Lane (Take 6 - Instrumental)8. Penny Lane (Vocal overdubs and speech)9. Penny Lane (Stereo mix - 2017)10. A day in the life (Take 1)11. A day in the life (Take 2)12. A day in the life (Orchestra overdub)13. A day in the life (Hummed last chord) (Takes 8, 9, 10 and 11)14. A day in the life (The last chord)15. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band (Take 1 - Instrumental)16. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band (Take 9 and speech)17. Good morning good morning (Take 1 - Instrumental, Breakdown)18. Good morning good morning (Take 8)CD 3: Early takes from the sessions, sequenced in chronological order1. Fixing a hole (Take 1)2. Fixing a hole (Speech and Take 3)3. Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite! (Speech from before Take 1, Take 4 and speech at the end)4. Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite! (Take 7)5. Lovely Rita (Speech and Take 9)6. Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Take 1 and speech at the end)7. Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Speech, false start and Take 5)8. Getting better (Take 1, Instrumental and speech at the end)9. Getting better (Take 12)10. Within you without you (Take 1 - Indian instruments only)11. Within you without you (George coaching the musicians)12. She's leaving home (Take 1 - Instrumental)13. She's leaving home (Take 6 - Instrumental)14. With a little help from my friends (Take 1 - False start and Take 2 - Instrumental)15. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band (Reprise) (Speech and Take 8)CD 4: "Sgt. Pepper..." + bonus tracks (All in mono mix)1. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band (Original mono mix)2. With a little help from my friends (Original mono mix)3. Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Original mono mix)4. Getting better (Original mono mix)5. Fixing a hole (Original mono mix)6. She's leaving home (Original mono mix)7. Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite! (Original mono mix)8. Within you without you (Original mono mix)9. When I'm sixty-four (Original mono mix)10. Lovely Rita (Original mono mix)11. Good morning good morning (Original mono mix)12. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band (Reprise) (Original mono mix)13. A day in the life (Original mono mix)14. Strawberry fields forever (Original mono mix)15. Penny Lane (Original mono mix)16. A day in the life (Unreleased first mono mix)17. Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Unreleased mono mix - No. 11)18. She's leaving home (Unreleased first mono mix)19. Penny Lane (Capitol Records US promo single - mono mix)Disc 5 (blu-ray)Audio features:- New 5.1 Surround Audio mixes of "Sgt. Pepper..." album and "Penny Lane", plus 2015 5.1 Surround mix of "Strawberry fields forever" (blu-ray: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby True HD 5.1)- High Resolution 2017 Audio versions of "Sgt. Pepper..." album and "Penny Lane", plus 2015 "Strawberry fields forever" (all in stereo mix) (blu-ray: LPCM Stereo 96KHz/24bit)Video features:- The making of "Sgt. Pepper..." (Restored 1992 documentary film, previously unreleased)- Promotional films: "A day in the life", "Strawberry fields forever", "Penny Lane" (4K restored)Disc 6 (DVD)Audio features:- New 5.1 Surround Audio mixes of "Sgt. Pepper..." album and "Penny Lane", plus 2015 5.1 Surround mix of "Strawberry fields forever" (DVD: DTS Dolby Digital 5.1)- High Resolution 2017 Audio versions of "Sgt. Pepper..." album and "Penny Lane", plus 2015 "Strawberry fields forever" (all in stereo mix) (DVD: LPCM Stereo)Video features:- The making of "Sgt. Pepper..." (Restored 1992 documentary film, previously unreleased)- Promotional films: "A day in the life", "Strawberry fields forever", "Penny Lane" (4K restored)Ver más

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S.W.

25 de octubre de 2022

this review applies to the 2009 remaster/reissue!

True to form, Amazon seems to have thrown reviews for different releases of this album under the same product link. The link that I'm writing this review under seems to be for the 2009 single-CD reissue/remaster, since that's apparently what I received when I ordered under this link (and I'm fine with that, since, believe it or not, this Beatlemaniac didn't already have it!). Why it is described by Amazon as a "Limited Edition," I'm not sure, unless it has, or could possibly have, the digital "mini-documentary" that was on certain copies (including the one I got). I don't know many of the other reviews here may be for this particular remaster.In '66, after six U.K. albums and a number of U.K. singles (I'm not counting U.S. Beatles releases here), the Beatles began to get more adventurous with their music, and started concentrating less heavily on "love songs." These two factors would result in their most "interesting" recordings (on that year's Revolver album and elsewhere). On the Revolver album (and also on the "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" single [both of those songs also appeared on Revolver] and the "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" single), the Fab Four started to show that they were capable of doing more than songs on romantic interpersonal relationships. (O.K., not ALL of the songs they had done until then were love songs, but most of them could be considered as such.)However, while the Beatles (particularly John Lennon, with songs like the slightly psychedelic "Rain" and the VERY psychedelic "Tomorrow Never Knows") showed signs of moving away (or mostly away) from the old "formula" in '66, it was the following year's album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (and the single "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane") that demonstrated that they were REALLY changing things up. The lyrics, the instrumentation, the arrangements, the recording techniques... by hardly any means could you call the album (or the single, especially "Strawberry Fields") "normal." Even the cover of the album was very ambitious and unusual, with the Beatles presenting themselves in the guise of "Sgt. Pepper's band" against a backdrop of an "audience" of celebrities (or rather, cardboard cut-outs thereof), which included the Fab Four themselves! With this album, the first rock 'n' roll "concept album" was born (or if it wasn't THE first one, it was one of the first ones).However, the "concept" doesn't really seem to extend to the actual recordings, aside from the title song and the reprise of it. There are just too many different kinds of sounds and "styles," and far too many sets of lyrics and lyrical ideas that don't go together with any of the others, for most of the songs to really seem "related" in any way. Reportedly, even John Lennon said that (to quote Brandon Toropov in his book [which I kind of doubt is really well-known] Who Was Eleanor Rigby? And 908 More Questions And Answers About The Beatles, first published in I think '97) "the only real unifying theme on the album, other than the open-ended idea of a fictional band, was the reprise of the title song that appears near the end of the album." (That quote may not be EXACTLY word-for-word.) It's kind of ironic that the album that (largely if not entirely on its own) ushered "concept albums" into the world of music (or at least the world of rock 'n' roll music) really didn't HAVE too much of a concept!Whatever the (supposed) "concept" behind it, this is a "classic" album, and deservedly so. While no singles were released from it, the album was enough of a "masterpiece" to not NEED any released from it. (However, one of the songs on it, the pleasant, Ringo-sung "With A Little Help From My Friends," would become a hit for Joe Cocker.) All of the album's tracks are good, and have something (often more than one thing) to make them interesting and in many cases quirky (in good ways); some of them are: the mock-"live" sound of the title song and the reprise; the subtle (and "dirty") lyrical joke in "With A Little Help" ("I can't tell you but I know it's mine"); the whole of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (reportedly not actually inspired by LSD but by a drawing that John's son made); the surprising (and, reportedly according to John, autobiographical) confession of wife-beating in "Getting Better"; the strings-only (ala "Eleanor Rigby") arrangement of the backing for "She's Leaving Home"; the "circus" sound of "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!" (reportedly inspired by an old circus poster); the "Indian" sounds on George Harrison's song "Within You Without You"; Paul McCartney's sped-up vocal on "When I'm Sixty-Four"; the sound effects on "Good Morning Good Morning"; the lyrics (inspired in part by news stories) and orchestral "crescendos" on "A Day In The Life"... and those aren't all. And of all of the songs, only "Lovely Rita," "Sixty-Four," and maybe "With A Little Help" can be considered (loosely, anyway, in one or two of those cases) love songs.As for the sound of this reissue, I'm very satisfied with it. I think it does sound better than the original '80s CD reissue. In fact, I prefer this '09 remaster (and for that master, the '80s remaster) of the album's original stereo mix to the 2017 remastered and remixed stereo reissue, which to my ears suffered, more than benefitted, from the attempt to "modernize" the mix. One major change they made, that I don't really like, was "centering" the lead vocals that weren't that way on the original stereo mix; I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I personally think that those vocals being "uncentered" is one of the things that make the album interesting and contribute to many of the songs' quirkiness (especially in the case of John's vocal on "A Day In The Life," which "travels" from right to left as the song progresses). I would definitely rate the 2017 reissue lower (by at least one star) than this one, which I give 5 stars.As a side note, I think the Magical Mystery Tour album (which wasn't actually a full album originally) on a CD with Sgt. Pepper (I think both albums would fit onto it), in their original stereo mixes, would make an awesome Beatles release; the two albums would complement each other perfectly, in my opinion!

Russell G.

12 de abril de 2018

This makes every other copy of this record obsolete!

Whoa! At first cue-up this new remaster hits you in the face. There is no mistaking that this is something new. First, it’s loud, so careful with the volume. It’s also tipped up a bit, more so on the CD than on this vinyl example. The sustain, echo and decay are much improved. At various points on the album, there are obvious improvements in vocal detail and clarity, instrument prominence, stage depth and breadth and much better “stereo” integration – although a bit of ping-ponging is still present here and there.Here are some notes on what I heard:"Sgt Pepper": Startling intro with the volume and tipped up upper frequencies, but this also comes with just much better overall clarity."Little Help from my Friends": Detailed high-hat. Much better depth and breadth of backing vocals."Lucy": Better delineation and detail of the electric piano behind John’s vocal."Getting Better": Paul’s vocal much cleaner and Ringo’s cymbal work is much better defined."Fixing a Hole": Ringo’s percussion work is more discernible. Paul’s voice appears on a bigger stage. George’s lead guitar is not bigger, just better."She’s Leaving Home": Paul’s vocal sibilance and detail are improved."Mr. Kite": John’s vocal has better detail, each word sounds “clean.” Maybe this is why the stage depth sounds better. Paul’s bass line has a nice ride throughout the song that is easier to hear."Within You": Wow! Just a much bigger presentation. George’s vocals are much cleaner. As an example…on the last line of the song, where George sings for the last time “…within (you) and without you,” the (you) is much easier to hear."64": Paul’s individual bass notes are clearer and cleaner and there’s a nice, bright “ring” to the bell."Rita": Guitar! A very nice blend of the base line with the rhythm guitar is very pleasing. Detailed backing vocals and the voices at the end “pop.”"Good Morning": Rhythm guitar peaks through a bit more and Ringo’s beat more discernible. Those faint footsteps are more prominent at the end."Pepper Reprise": George’s lead guitar work is much cleaner and the shouted backing vocals come through at the end before the segue to the next song."Day in the Life": Bigger presentation of the image. Soft decay of Ringo’s percussion is easier to hear. Mal Evans’ counting to Paul’s “middle eight” is easier to hear. Ringo’s sharp drum work on the “middle 8” is better and Paul’s voice sounds like it’s on a bigger stage. Ringo’s drumming carries the difficult beat of John’s second part.The massed piano chord? Wow! Listen for the famous “creaking chair” half-way through the sustain – much clearer on this mix.I also bought the Box set...I’m not usually one to spring for the various box-sets offered over the years for quite a few of our Rock & Roll heroes. There are many bands that I like and many that I count among my music collection, but I generally have no interest in duplicating content – even for all the extra goodies enclosed. But, for me, the Beatles are another matter entirely. So, while this box set may not be for everyone, it is for me. I bought the box set before the vinyl copy mainly for the extra content. The “inserts” are nice, but not must-haves. The book and the extra content CD’s and DVD’s are worth the expense if you are a Beatles fan like me. Both are worth owning. The vinyl record gets rid of the minor tipped-up treble present on the CD.

J. A Lizon

2 de enero de 2005

It's a hallmark album.

One reviewer wrote at the time of "Sgt. Pepper's" release was that it was a moment in pop music where black and white turned into color. It's that pronounced a record in the annals of musical history. And despite pushing the boundries with their 2 previous discs "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver," with "Sgt. Pepper" it's a different level altogether--all the way down to the then innovative cover design.Though in theory it's a concept album, the Beatles themselves disavowed that later. It certainly starts that way with the title track: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" which even sounds light years from what they did barely 10 months ago. All the instruments seem to have a sharper defined tonal quality that made previous records seem almost dated. McCartney's bass, for example, is so much more hilighted in the mix it's almost as if he's playing a lead bass on some songs. This cut leads right into the Ringo sung "With a Little Help From My Friends." Ringo is finally given a proper song to sing, instead of a cornball country tune or some novelty song or a Lennon/McCartney throwaway. The songs theme is Ringo's persona and he easily wins us over with his self effacing performance. Super job. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" shows John's gift of wordplay never deserting him---even in psychedelia. In fact, it's never been better. "Getting Better," inspired by temporary tour replacment drummer Jimmy Nichol, is a superb song featuring a light/dark side of the Beatles: the verses shimmering with optimism and great Beatle harmonies give way to the middle filled with a heaviness and pessimism. It's this give and take that give the song it's excellence. "Fixing a Hole" would be my choice for underrated gem on this disc. For Paul, the words are outstanding and the electric guitar which echoes the meleody line, hold the song together really well. While being a good song, "Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite" taken away from "Pepper" doesn't really stand on it's own. It's a great marriage of music and words however. You can literally feel the circus in the song. "She's Leaving Hone" showcases the Beatles(always) superb vocal harmonics to their best abilites. The voices just blend with the orchestration. "When I'm 64" is Paul doing his old-time shtick. Here it's sublime as he hits all the right spots, especially the clarinets wistfully playing over Ringo's shuffle as Paul sings the woes of aging. Paul would do this type of song again many times in his career but never as good as here. "Within You, Without You" is George's contribution to this set. And although it's not as commercially accesible as his previous Indian("Love You To")song, the words are far more spiritual. Next comes "Lovely Rita" which is probably the purest pop number on this disc so far, even with the honky-tonk pianio. After everything you've listened to up to his point it's very welcome. "Good Morning, Good Morning" features Sounds Incorporated on horns blasting John Lennon's televison based song forward. Listen for Ringo's inspired drumming under the mix. "Sgt. Pepper's (reprise) is a super gap filler. Faster and more stripped down than the title track, its exuberance puts you at the somber door of "A Day in the Life." "A Day in the Life" could be the crowning achievment of their career. A mini-opera fueled by Lennon's imaginative words and George Martin's rising and falling orchestration and brought thunderously home by Ringo's timpani- like drums. It's one of those rare times that music can leave you breathless when it's over. Deserving of every accolade given, it's a masterpiece.And pretty much can be said about the album.

4 de junio de 2017

Sgt. Pepper's As You've Never Heard It Before

This review is for the newly remixed/remastered 50th anniversary version of the album. The extra disc is nice, but is mere icing on the cake. This review will focus on the album itself.When the album was released in 1967, most people still had mono systems, not stereo, so the most care was taken in mixing the mono version of the album. The band themselves were involved in the mixing process, and altogether it took three weeks to get the mix as they wanted it. George Martin then spent three days (without the band) throwing together a stereo mix for those lucky enough to have a stereo sound system. But things changed very quickly, and stereo became more prominent (and dominant) just a year later. The mono version of the album eventually disappeared and it's the stereo version that most people who've listened to this album have heard.As Giles Martin (son of late Beatles producer Sir George Martin) says in the liner notes: “Why even attempt it? The original Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was primarily mixed as a mono album. All care and attention to detail were applied to the mono LP, with The Beatles present for all the mixes…Almost as an afterthought, the stereo album was mixed very quickly without The Beatles at the sessions. Yet it is the stereo album that most people listen to today.”The thing is, the original stereo mix sucked. Seriously. Anyone who's compared the stereo mix to the original UK mono mix will tell you the stereo mix is flat and lifeless. There have been other attempts to re-mix the album (in 2009 and again in 2012), and they were improvements to be sure, but nothing like what we got this week with the 50th anniversary edition. Quite literally, you've never heard this album like this before.The new mix was done by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. What makes this mix special is they used the original analog tapes for every instrument, voice, and sound. When the album was recorded, they used a 4-track tape recorder. When the four tracks were filled up, they would mix them down to a single track on a new tape, and use the additional three tracks for additional sounds. They would repeat this process several times for each song, with each mix-down losing a little bit of audio fidelity along the way. For this new mix, Giles and Sam used the original tapes, the ones as they were recorded, before being mixed down, so that there was no loss in fidelity.Giles and Sam used the original mono mix as a template when re-mixing the new stereo version, so that they'd stay true to what the band (and George Martin) originally intended, paying homage to its balance and imaging. The end result is stunning.The first thing I noticed when listening to the new mix is there's finally a sound stage. The various instruments and voices are separate and distinct instead of muddled together. It's also a lot ballsier. The original stereo mix was flat and lifeless. This mix jumps out of the speakers. The drums have never sounded better (and, in fact, you can hardly hear them in the original mix), the bass is strong and clear, the guitar is bright, the vocals clear. I have the original stereo mix as well, and have done some A/B testing between the two. The difference is night and day. It's like watching the standard definition (SD) feed of a television channel on your fancy HDTV, then switching to the high definition (HD) feed. Boom. That's how it's supposed to be! Giles and Sam did such a good job with the mix that the new sound stage and fidelity doesn't sound jarring or out of place. It sounds like it meant to sound all along, but with a clarity that was technologically impossible at the time due to the limitations of the recording equipment.

W. Dent

25 de septiembre de 2008

Unquestionably One of The Greatest Albums Ever Released

Not only was Sargeant Peppers one of the greatest albums ever released but it also proved at a time when The Beatles were thought to be finished - dried up and all out of ideas - they were just getting started. The drama surrounding this album couldn't have been scripted any better if it had been a full length feature film. Take a rock band which had become the biggest and best of all time and had the world at its' young feet. Every album that they put out was critically and generally accepted as important with every song on each a gem in and of itself. Add to that the incredible cultural influence The Beatles had on the world and I do mean the entire world. They were bigger than life itself. There was so much press on this band constantly from the beginnings of Beatlemania right on up to the eve of Sargeant Pepper's release. It seems as though by the time the lull between The Beatles' last release (Revolver) and their then future release of Sargeant Peppers had extended itself, everyone was pretty much listening for the fall. You know the adage: the bigger they are the harder they fall? Rumours were spreading that The Beatles didn't have any more ideas. The logic was that no one could sustain the kind of career these 'boys' had sustained for that long and still have anything new or worthwhile to say. The rumours were helped by the long silence from The Beatles after Revolver. It did seem like aeons at the time, since they had released Revolver and given their prodigious production through the years, it just wasn't like them to "slow up" like that. In retrospect, McCartney claims that he had relished the press comments about The Beatles being finished and dried up, etc. at the time. This because he of course, was privy to what The Beatles were doing in the studio and the direction they were taking. Indeed, his personal attitude was, 'just you wait'. Of course, history tells us that The Beatles were far from being dried up and the praises which followed its release were astounding. Again the band that had changed life for everyone in the world, especially the young, were doing it again. Sargeant Peppers was the work of a very confident (maybe even cocky) band who refused to allow themselves to become prisoners of their own successes. So many could have and would have lived on their laurels having had one tenth the success these guys experienced. And quite frankly, it could have been justified if they had. However, The Beatles was a living, breathing, and growing organism the entire time of their existence. When they couldn't grow anymore, they imploded and that implosion served their position in history very well. They never became the parodies of themselves that it would have been so easy to become. They came, they sang, they went! Sargeant Peppers was another hallmark album in the string of those already achieved by the band and those which were still unborn but coming. If you haven't yet, you must. Don't miss out on what is still an incredibly enjoyable, wonderful album full of some of the greatest songs ever written. Again, like all things Beatles, there are no throwaway songs on this album.